A Closer Walk

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

THE BLESSING OF A PRETTY HEART

I would like to share a devotional thought with you today. This came as a result of prayer and meditating on what St. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:9. I hope it will bless you.

THE BLESSING OF A PRETTY HEART

“And
I want women to be modest in their appearance.[a] They should wear decent and appropriate
clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or
by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9)

What a truck load of controversy
has come from this simple statement made by Paul over 2,000 years ago. Some
churches have even made doctrines from it.

Make no mistake, God is, and always
has been, all about the heart. Paul was not making a fashion statement. He was
making a heart statement.

So should we refrain from wearing
make-up, fixing our hair or wearing stylish clothing? Not at all. Fixing myself
up to feel confident, or to bring a smile to my husband’s face, is a good
thing. Doing the same, to draw attention and adoration to myself is not.

They say that “Money is power”.
Well, beauty is power too. Every 14-year-old girl who has ever watched a boy
blush and stammer in her presence knows this. What we fail to remember is that
power corrupts.

On the beach one day when I was a
little girl, a teenage boy scooped up a sunbather and carried her into the
water. As I watched her being carried in his strong arms and saw his admiring
gaze, I made a wish that one day I would be beautiful. It seemed an innocent wish
at the time….

I did not recognize the voice of
the Tempter. I didn’t realize that I desired power. I only wanted to be loved;
didn’t I? And I did not realize how desperately hungry I would become for those
admiring words and gazes. My self-worth became tied up in whether I perceived
myself to be pretty or not. When I received the admiration I desired, I felt
powerful; superior even. When I did not receive it, I felt inferior and
unworthy of love. The power I had desired consumed me, either way.

So what do I do? How do I resolve
this issue? What do women do who have never been considered pretty? How do they
feel good about themselves? How do they see passed their faces and bodies and
into their hearts?

Once a friend told me, “You have a
pretty heart.” It was the nicest compliment I have ever received, yet the
thought nagged me: Does that mean I don’t have a pretty face? Ugh! What’s wrong
with me?

“I don't really
understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead,
I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15)

I heard it said once that if you go
into a dark room and rebuke the darkness, nothing will change, but turn on the
light and the darkness flees. Neglecting my outer appearance might match the ugliness of my heart, but it
will not change it. I need to find out how to turn on the light.

Here is an excerpt from Proverbs 31
(The Message) that gives a clear picture of a woman with a pretty heart.

Her clothes are well-made and elegant,and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.When she speaks she has something
worthwhile to say,and she always says it kindly.She keeps an eye on everyone in her
household,and keeps them all busy and productive.Her children respect and bless her;her husband joins in with words of praise:“Many women have done wonderful things,but you’ve outclassed them all!”Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.The woman to be admired and praisedis the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.Give her everything she deserves!Festoon her life with praises!

Notice
that this woman dresses well and obviously takes pride in her appearance. It doesn't say she has a pretty face or lovely body because that is irrelevant. Her beauty is in her generous nature and loving conduct. She has a pretty heart.

So how do I turn on the light that dispels the darkness of vanity in my own heart? Let me sing praises as I choose
which clothes to wear for the day. Let me nurture a beautiful attitude of love
and forgiveness as I apply my make-up. As I fix my hair, let me give glory to
God for who he is and all he has done for me. Let each choice I make today to
bless and honour others draw out the beauty of a pretty heart in me.

Blessings on your day, Dear Ones,
and may you walk in the beauty and grace of a pretty heart today.

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About Me

Tickell was my Scottish mother's maiden name. Mum could make clothes without a pattern, sing "Oh Danny Boy" with a lovely trilling voice, carve doll furniture out of balsa wood, make beautiful porcelain dolls and was even a closet poet. Tickell Expressions is the place where I get to express my own creativity while honoring the memory of my very creative Mum.